


the other kind of daddy

by dragonbagel



Series: so sweet it'll rot your teeth [5]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Good Dad Jack, Kid Angel, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-05 23:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11023701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonbagel/pseuds/dragonbagel
Summary: drabble prompt from tumblr: rhys meeting a young angel for the first timefyi this title is about jack being an actual dad, since i know all of your minds live in the trash





	the other kind of daddy

“Daddy! Daddy, someone’s at the door!”

Jack glanced up from the skag-shaped macaroni and cheese he was making (as well as an episode of his newest telenovela obsession) to see his daughter staring up at him from where she was perched on the couch.

“You expecting someone? A _boy_ , maybe?”

“Ew!” Angel giggled, hiding her blushing face behind a book far above the reading level of the typical seven-year-old. However, Angel was no typical child, and while Jack practically lived for the weekends when his daughter wasn’t staying with his ex, he felt inadequate as a parent, like there was more he should be doing for her. Not having primary custody sure was a pain in the ass.

“Don’t worry, pumpkin,” Jack said, leaving the kitchen and pausing to ruffle Angel’s hair before making his way to the door. “It’s probably just Auntie Nisha.”

Angel perked up at that, the tiny girl having experienced serious withdrawal from her honorary relative due to Nisha’s numerous mayoral duties down on Pandora.

Jack chuckled in amusement as he reached the door, peering through the peephole and expecting to see the all too familiar flash of red fabric of Nisha’s cowboy hat. Instead, he was met with the sight of Rhys. Jack sucked in his breath; Rhys looked pissed, his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face. He stole a glance back at Angel, who was regarding him curiously. She knew that Jack liked to keep her existence more or less a secret, and while it was a bit annoying, she believed her dad when he reassured her it was for her safety.

“Jack, open the fucking door. I know you’re in there!”

Jack flinched at the harshness of Rhys’ voice, ignoring him in favor of ushering Angel into the kitchen. He knew Rhys wouldn’t leave until he talked to him, and he ordered Angel to stay at the table until Daddy finished dealing with business. She frowned, but her pout soon turned into a look of content when Jack said that she could have an extra cookie with lunch if she behaved.

The pounding sound at the door resounded through the apartment once again, and Jack begrudgingly returned to the entrance.

“I swear to god Jack if you don’t let me in I’ll–”

“You’ll what, pumpkin?” Jack asked, forcing a grin onto his face as he opened the door.

“Asshole,” Rhys muttered, glaring at Jack. “Why have you been ignoring me?”

“What?” Jack said, hoping that the blush underneath his mask wasn’t visible enough to give him away.

“You haven’t answered any of my texts or calls,” Rhys said, voice rising in volume. “What the hell is going on? Did I do something to piss you off? Because if I did, I’m not even sorry, because you’re acting childish and petty and–”

“Rhysie,” Jack said, cutting him off and tenderly pressing his lips against Rhys’. “I haven’t been ignoring you, I’ve just been… busy.”

“Busy?” Rhys repeated. “What does that even mean?”

Jack was in the middle of wracking his brain for any semblance of a believable response when he heard the patter of tiny feet behind him.

His heart sunk in his chest. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Rhys, or even trust him for that matter; a lifetime of back-stabbings had simply made him wary of anyone getting too close, especially when it came to his daughter.

“Daddy, the smoke alarm is going off. It’s beeping really loud.”

Rhys quirked an eyebrow. _Daddy?_ Was this… did Jack have a kid?

“Crap,” Jack said, already hustling into the kitchen. He’d been so distracted that he’d forgotten the food that was still on the stove, and he quickly turned the burner off and fanned away the smoke. The alarm eventually went silent, and Jack sighed in relief.

His relief soon morphed into anxiety when he realized Angel was talking to Rhys, who had entered the apartment and was now kneeling down to meet her small height. The girl’s eyes brightened when she saw Jack emerge from the kitchen, and she waved him over.

“Daddy, this is Rhys!” she exclaimed. “He’s a robot!”

“Part robot, actually,” Rhys corrected, smiling.

“Part robot,” Angel recited, reaching out to grab Rhys’ cybernetic hand and inspect it.

“Baby, I don’t know if Rhysie wants you touching his arm,” Jack said cautiously, knowing Rhys sometimes got self-conscious about it.

“It’s fine,” Rhys said, waving him off. “Wanna see how it works?”

Angel let out a series of excited squeals as Rhys turned on the palm display, even letting Angel play one of the games on it that he definitely didn’t play while on the clock.

Later, once Rhys had left feeling much less angry and a lot more content, Angel snuggled up against her dad’s side on the couch. They’d forgone the burnt macaroni, instead eating cold sandwiches that Jack insisted weren’t defrosted from the freezer.

“Daddy, I like Rhys,” she said with a yawn.

“Me too, cupcake,” Jack said, equally sleepy. He could really use a nap.

“Can we keep him?”

Jack smiled as he planted a kiss on the top of Angel’s head, her dark hair soft against his lips. “Yes we can, princess. We most certainly can.”

**Author's Note:**

> comments/kudos are appreciated.  
> tumblr: [dragonbagel](dragonbagel.tumblr.com)


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